Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan looks at the scoreboard as Atlanta loses its first game of the season. / John David Mercer, U.S. Presswire

by Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY Sports

by Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY Sports

The Atlanta Falcons didn't merely extinguish their slim chances of achieving a perfect season with a nail-biting, 31-27 loss Sunday.

No, the Falcons missed a chance to land a kill shot on the desperate New Orleans Saints and to exorcise a demon.

They also flubbed the chance to issue a major statement about their legitimacy as a Super Bowl contender and grossly fumbled an opportunity to prove that they are not really owned by Drew Brees and company.

Never mind the one-game stuff. This was a psychological loss, too.

With the game on the line, the prolific Falcons offense could not find the end zone in three cracks from the 1-yard line. Pathetic. Ballgame.

Sure, Atlanta (8-1) has a seemingly secure lead in the NFC South.

But can you trust this team to go deep in the playoffs? I can't.

Not when they are unable to beat their most bitter rival. The Falcons have won five games this season by seven points or less, but their poise in crunchtime does not seem to apply when they play the Saints. That's 11 losses in their past 13 games against New Orleans.

"They are not in our heads," insisted Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez.

If you say so.

It seems that every time the Falcons show up at the Superdome, something bad happens. Last year it was a Monday night blowout .

And bad things happen at the Georgia Dome, too. Last year, the Falcons couldn't convert on coach Mike Smith's gamble to go for it on fourth-and-inches in overtime from his 29-yard line, which set up a winning New Orleans field goal.

Now this. Wonder if Smith is superstitious.

"A little bit," the coach said after his press conference. "But I tend not to tempt fate."

Superstitious about the Saints?

"Oh, no," he said. "They just made more plays."

It's striking that the much-maligned Saints defense saved the day. New Orleans is on pace to allow the most passing yards in NFL history. But just after the two-minute warning, on second-and-goal from the 1, Malcolm Jenkins broke up Matt Ryan's corner pass to Gonzalez. Then Michael Turner (13 rushes, 15 yards) was stuffed by Will Smith. On fourth down. Ryan spotted White crossing in the back of the end zone, but Jabari Greer - scorched on the previous series for a 52-yard completion to Julio Jones - batted down the pass.

Earlier in the fourth quarter, the Falcons had first-and-goal at the 5-yard line and settled for a field goal. A tally: Seven snaps inside the 5-yard line on two drives, zero touchdowns.

Said White, "We've got to fix our red-zone problems."

It's a frustrating reality for a team that had the look of accidental tourists venturing into Mercury Morris' neighborhood. The Falcons have only defeated one team with a winning record, and, with all the close calls, hardly seemed destined to challenge the 1972 Miami Dolphins distinction as the only NFL team to produce a perfect season.

Pop that cork, Dolphins.

The Falcons, after all the whining of late about not gaining enough national attention, are left to justify why they can't beat the Saints.

Snakebitten?

"I don't worry about the past," said Ryan.

One Falcon after another scoffed at any suggestion that this pattern - 11 of 13 - suggests the Saints have their number. They are surely in denial.

White sounded like a man not even convinced that the Saints won again.

"We kind of gave it away," he said. "You know, we gave it to 'em."

Gave it away?

"I'll take a gift, any day of the week," said Curtis Lofton, the Saints linebacker who left the Falcons as a free agent last offseason. "It's the NFL. You've got to come out and prove yourself, week in and week out.

"That's very insulting. You take your loss, and be a man about it."

Added Brees, "They do a lot of talking."

And when these teams play, the Saints do a lot of winning.

They meet again in Atlanta on Nov. 29.

"We'll be ready," said White, "and we'll get another shot at them in our place."